To Forgive
by Queen of Fairyland
Summary: Rodney thought he'd left her behind, but when an accident throws her back into the world of the SGC, O'Neill and Jackson are determined to get her too Atlantis. Can Rodney forgive and forget? Angsty Rodney History Fic COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1 of 2

**To Forgive is the Hardest Trial One Can Face**

**PArt One**

**A/N: Here's another angsty Rodney history fic... I can't seem to escape them. I wrote this while having writers block for the sequel to The Program, which is now almost finished. However exams will prevent me from getting it done until after mid-May. But here's some Rodney angst. Enjoy.**

**Also, feedback is happiness.**

* * *

Kath walked to the aeroplane with a smile on her face. She turned to Andrew Johnson, her CO for the past six months, just as they stopped outside the landing area.

"Glad to be getting out of here Connors?" He asked with a knowing look.

"Lets just say I'll be looking forward to getting back to some boring old book work, sir," she said as she watched a marine load up the luggage onto the plane.

"You scientists and your crazy ways," he shook his head with a smile.

"And I'm one of the sane ones," she grinned.

"So you tell us," he raised an eyebrow. "I've yet to see any proof I'm afraid."

"There's hope for you yet, sir. Empirical proof; the basis of the hard sciences," she said as they walked towards the plane.

"Get a move on Connors!" Jeffreys, the pilot, said as he climbed into the plane. "We've got some soldiers very eager to get back to the motherland," he said loudly, which was followed by a loud cheer from the passengers.

"Better get a move on Lieutenant," Johnson said with a quirk of his mouth.

"Yes sir," she nodded. "Pleasure working with you sir," she said, before performing a perfect salute, which Johnson returned with a smile, before stepping onto the plane.

She'd barely seated herself when there were panicked shouts coming from outside.

"What now?" she heard one of the marines mutter as she unstrapped herself again and got up to lean out of the window.

The next shout of "Incoming!" she heard as clear as day, and took a brief second to wonder what the target could possibly in the middle of nowhere, the only things here were the jeep that brought them…and the plane.

"Everyone out!" she shouted, but it was too late and with in seconds she felt something impact the ground nearby, looking out of the window only to find it was the jeep. "Come on!" she shouted as the passengers made a mad scramble to get out of the plane. They'd be sitting ducks out in the open, but the plane was to large and to combustible a target to remain inside.

One of the last out of the plane, she had just made it out when she heard a faint whistling noise and spotted it in her peripheral vision. She had just enough time to shout 'Incoming' and start running before it hit. She barely had time to feel the heat on her back as the explosion threw her from the aircraft and the impact knocked her unconscious.

* * *

Rodney remembered the first time he truly felt like he hated his parents. When his mother told him he couldn't be friends with their new neighbour, that Jeannie had made friends with her first and he would just have to make his own, he had wanted to scream. Wanted to scream that he had seen her first, that she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen and that all he wanted to do was protect that. To protect her.

But a nine year old Rodney McKay had to settle for watching from afar as his four year old sister played with _her_ new friend.

At least, he'd thought sourly at the time, it meant he could watch out for both of them. Even if he couldn't do it from up close, he could still make sure they were safe.

* * *

When Katherine opened her eyes again, a month later, she was more than a little disorientated. She blinked at the stark hospital room, and moved her head (and ow damn it!) to look out of the window. Trees. Lots of green and bright colours. The last thing she remembered was dust and sand and…

"Miss Connors?" a female voice startled her and she looked back to find a nurse standing over her bed.

"I-" she started, but her voice failed her.

"Let me get you some water, and a Doctor," the nurse smiled. "You might be a little confused." Kath could only nod.

Once her throat has been suitably refreshed and a Doctor called, Kath was ready to start questioning.

"Where am I?" she asked as soon as the Doctor entered with the nurse trailing behind him. Kath ignored her as she prepared to take her blood pressure, just looked intently at the Doctor.

"Do you remember what happened?" he asked. He glared, answering a question with a question, great. She noticed his uniform under his white coat.

"The last thing I remember," she frowned. "I wasn't in America, that's where I am now right?" she asked the nurse, who nodded. "No I was on a tour- Colonel Johnson, he was my CO," she paused.

"How much do you remember of that mission? How long had you been out there?" the Doctor asked.

"I- about a month? I think," she frowned, and glanced up to see a worried expression on both their faces. "What?" she demanded.

"Katherine, you were out there for five months. You suffered a sever head injury and so were brought back," he paused. "You've been a coma for a month," he finished gently.

"How did I-? I mean I don't," she stopped and the nurse laid a reassuring hand on her arm. "I don't remember," she said quietly.

* * *

It was only when he was thirteen and she was put ahead two years and ended up in Rodney's year that he really got to speak with her. They'd exchanged smiles and small talk over the years, but never much more, Rodney's fear of his parent's anger always held him back. But when the teachers decided, that as the most ahead pupil in the year (he'd have skipped a few years by now himself if he had handed in all their pathetically unimaginative and mundane assignments), he was the best candidate to get her up to speed.

The fact that she was so intelligent, despite having been deprived contact with him, impressed Rodney. But then again, she could have picked it up from Jeannie, who had obviously picked up her eagerness to learn and keen intellect from him. So really, in the end, he deserved some of the credit.

She didn't really have too much to catch up on. She had done a lot of extra work in her free time, and anything new she tended to pick up pretty easily and quickly. When she stumbled on something she always persevered and triumphed in the end. Nonetheless it took her a few months to get up to speed.

When she finally took her first test with the rest of their class and aced it, she sort Rodney out immediately, and despite already being one of the more popular girls in her year, proceeded to hug the biggest geek in the school.

For years, it was the happiest memory Rodney ever had.

* * *

In the end Kath had given up trying to remember, it only frustrated her. The doctors said her memory may never come back, but either way it was best not to induce any stress by trying to force it.

She spent most of her days alone in her room, having the occasional conversation with the nurses (more with a particularly cute one called Tom who flirted with her shamelessly, despite the fact she must look like shit, she supposed it was probably in his job description).

It was wholly depressing, she thought, that no-one had visited her for the entirety of her stay. She'd grilled the nurses to find out about the month in which she was in her coma. It was more the fact that she had no-one to visit her that was depressing. After that realisation, she spent a fair few days wallowing in self pity, before her realisation was proved wrong by her first visitor.

"Kath!" she exclaimed and rushed into the room. "Are you okay?" she asked, but didn't wait for an answer before continuing. "I'm sorry, they couldn't get hold of us. And how sweet is it that I'm listed as one of your next of kin?" she asked with a smile, but with barely a pause. "We've moved since then so the address was wrong," she said and finally to a break for air. Kath grinned.

"Hi Jeannie," she said happily.

* * *

When Rodney stopped talking to her after the tutoring had finished she called him on it. Went on and on, until he finally broke and told her what his parents had told him when he was nine. She'd looked shocked for a moment, before giving him a blinding and wicked smile and then saying 'We'll have to make sure they don't find out then, won't we'. And Rodney thought that maybe this was what having a friend was like.

* * *

Her second visitor was most definitely a shock. Whilst she'd encountered General Jack O'Neill often throughout her career, they weren't friendly enough for one to visit the other in the hospital. But then again, Jack O'Neill was a rather strange guy in many ways, maybe he visited a lot of people he barely knew when they were in hospital.

He entered with a grin and seated himself in the most comfortable chair in the room (after carefully testing all three, much to her amusement). He then proceeded to ask her about her health, and then discussed mundane things like the weather, the cake in the canteen….

"General!" she exclaimed, when she couldn't take it anymore.

"Yes?" he said innocently with a smile, Kath rolled her eyes.

"Not that I don't appreciate the visit, but is there any other reason why you're here?" she asked.

"Well," he said, leaning forward in his chair. "Now that you mention it, there is." She managed to hold in her sigh of exasperation. "You're most likely going to be on medical leave for a while yet," he said. She nodded in agreement.

"Even when I've fully recovered they're not going to want me out in the field for months," she agreed.

"Maybe longer," he added. "But you got your smarts," he grinned. "There's nothing to stop you working as a civilian."

"No, I guess not," she said slowly. "You know its possible I would have thought of that on my own," she said with raised eyebrows.

"Actually I had a job in mind," he said with as smile.

"I don't know if I'd want to go back to the SGC," she said with a frown.

"There's other ways you could be a part of the program," he said innocently. Kath frowned for a moment, how could she-? He raised his eyebrows as a look of realisation dawned on her face.

"No," she said shortly.

"Look, I know you said no the first time, but its not a one-way trip anymore," he began.

"I said no the second time too!" she exclaimed.

"Because you'd already committed to a tour-"

"No, because…" she trailed off.

"Because why?"

"Look," she said, looking down at her hands. "That expedition is for the best and the brightest," she paused and looked up at him.

"Exactly," he smiled.

* * *

When she told him that Graham Mitchel had asked her to get icecream with him, he nodded absently and pulled the blanket closer around them. The roof of the garage wasn't exactly the warmest of places at night, even in the summer. It took a few seconds for what she said to actually register.

The captain of the football team had asked her on a date.

He was tempted to rant about how thirteen was far to young an age for that type of thing, before he realised how it sounded.

"Great," he smiled. "Really, that's great."

"Really?"

"Yeah," he said, laying down and looking up at the stars.

"Cool," she smiled, and laid down next to him.

* * *

General O'Neill had left him a file with some of the recent projects on Atlantis that she might find interesting, as well as detail what her position would entail. She'd yet to look at it, but she suspected that the fact that it was laying out in the open on her bedside table was the reason she kept getting visits from people she barely knew from the SGC.

Which was why it was a relief when Daniel came to visit her.

"Hey," he smiled as he entered.

"Hey Daniel," she said sitting up. "What, no flowers?"

"I figured you probably had quite a few of them by now," he said, looking round the room and frowning at the lone vase of flowers on the window sill.

"Yeah, I got one of the nurses to give them out to anyone who didn't have any. They were making the place look irritatingly…cheerful," she said.

"Well, we wouldn't want that would we?" he said, coming in and sitting down. "How you feeling?" he asked.

"Bored out of my mind," she said honestly. "And shocked about how many visitors I've had, you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" she asked. Daniel shrugged innocently, eyes betraying him by glancing to the folder on the bedside table. "Tell General O'Neill he should just post a guard outside my room," she said with a raised eyebrow.

"I'll pass that on," he nodded. "So, you thought anymore about going on the expedition yet?" he asked.

"Haven't even opened it yet," she said, gesturing toward the folder.

"You should," he smiled. "You'd be fantastic."

"Well obviously, its Atlantis," she said with a grin.

* * *

In the end, after a lot of door slamming and kicking things, Rodney had accepted that he was no longer necessary to her. It'd been weeks since he'd seen her properly, she was far too busy nowadays with _Graham_.

It wasn't like he was jealous. Well okay, he was. But not in a_ how dare you date her, I want to date her_ way. Just in a _she's mine damn it, you don't get to have her too_ kind of way. Which he realised was ridiculous, she wasn't a possession that he could own. Knowing that didn't stop him from slamming any doors though.

When he'd finally got over it (or so he told himself) just happened to be the day he caught Graham Mitchel making out with Rebecca Knight in one of the science labs at lunch. He resisted the urge to do anything until lunch the next day, when he saw them at it again.

Rodney had never hit anyone before, but he was a year older than Graham and had had the element of surprise on his side, as Graham had been distracted at the time. It was more the shock than any skill or force behind the first punch which knocked him for six, which gave Rodney time to assess his handy work and decide it was far from good enough, and also that practice made perfect.

When Graham could talk again past his swollen lip, he broke up with her. He never told her why, and neither did Rodney.

* * *

When she returned to the SGC again Kath couldn't keep the smile off her face. There was something about this place, that despite the fact that for all intents and purposes it was the gate to hell, made her feel comfortable.

She made her way down to level 27, with her military escort never leaving her side, and towards General Landry's office. She knocked tentatively and turned the handle when she heard a gruff 'Enter'. General Landry looked up at her from his behind his desk and General O'Neill turned round to see her.

"Sirs," she nodded in greeting.

"Hank, this is Lieutenant Katherine Connors," O'Neill introduced her.

"Ah yes," he nodded. "A pleasure to meet you. Take a seat," he gestured to the empty chair.

"Thank you ,sir," she smiled. "But I actually just wanted to give this back to General O'Neill," she said, holding out the file O'Neill had given her a month ago when he'd visited her.

"Thanks," he said lightly. "Read it?" he asked.

"Maybe," she answered vaguely.

"So what brings you here Lieutenant?" he asked.

"Daniel wanted to show me something," she said with a smirk, O'Neill raised his eyebrows.

"I'm sure he does," he said with a smirk of his own

"Don't tell me he showed you first, sir?" she said, sounding disappointed.

"Oh no, he's saved it just for you. Believe me, I have very little interested in what he wants to show you," he said. Landry looked amused, before clearing his throat.

"I thought perhaps you were here for the interviews for the Atlantis expedition," he said.

"Funny thing that sir, I didn't know they were today until you said that." She watched as General O'Neill tried to hide his smile. "I may have suspected thought," she added.

"Well, if you have a spare half hour, I'm sure Doctor Weir and her staff would be able to fit you in," Landry said.

"I'm sure that they would sir," she said. "Thank you," she added, before leaving the office to the sound of O'Neill's devious smile.


	2. Chapter 2 of 2

**To Forgive is the Hardest Trial One Can Face**

**Part Two**

Rodney was seventeen when he realised he was in trouble. He already knew that he was attracted to her, it went without saying; he was a teenage boy and she was hot. But she was his friend, by this time not his only friend, but still his first and best and so he did his best to ignore it.

It was when she was ill, wrapped in a blanket and curled up on her sofa, nose and eyes streaming and throat so sore she couldn't talk that he knew he was in trouble. Because he still wanted to hold her and kiss her and run his hands through her hair.

* * *

Kath spent the entire morning with Daniel in his lab, looking at various artefacts and translating this an that, with Daniel dropping subtle, and not so subtle hints here and there about Atlantis, and how he wished he could go, and how amazing it was. 

It was beginning to grate on her nerves when the telephone rang, she was closest and so she picked it up.

"Doctor Jackson's phone, how can I help you?" she asked.

"Oh, hello. Is Doctor Jackson there? I was wondering if he was free for lunch?" she asked.

"Yes he's here, I'll ask him," she said, before pausing. "Sorry, didn't catch the name," she said.

"Elizabeth Weir." Kath rolled her eyes, obviously.

"Daniel," she said, he looked up from the book her was reading. "Its Doctor Weir, wondering if your free for lunch?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah sure. Be there in," he glanced down at his watch, "Ten minutes." She passed the message along and hung up.

"You want to come?" he asked hopefully.

"No, that's ok," she said.

"Are you sure?" he tried again.

"Absolutely."

* * *

Rodney was twenty seven when she got married. He even attended and managed to not grimace at all through the entire thing. After all, she looked so happy, and how could he begrudge her that? 

Rodney was twenty four the first time he wanted to kill someone. As he examined the bruise on her cheek he felt rage build in the pit of his stomach. She assured him it was a onetime thing, that it would never happen again, and she was right. But she wasn't happy.

She began spending more and more time hanging out with him, which was a feat in itself because he was doing a Masters and two PhD's simultaneously. Apparently she'd been doing the same with Jeannie, which he knew as she had called him because she was worried.

Eventually, he had to call her on it. She'd been sitting on his sofa, staring blankly at the pages of a book for the past hour whilst Rodney worked.

"What's with you?" he finally blurted. She glanced at him blankly for a moment before the light flickered back momentarily in her eyes. She answered without even trying to evade the issue.

"He's cheating on me," she said eventually. When she'd managed to talk him down off the ceiling she explained calmly how she'd found out (a friend of a friend) and how it wasn't just one girl, but two.

"Why are you still with him then?" he asked, she looked away from him and stared at her hands as she answered.

"Mum's not well, she probably won't live out the year and I don't want to burden her with all my problems. I want her to die happy," she said, glancing at him.

"I'm pretty sure she'd rather die with you being happy," he replied.

She smiled sadly and looked at him with watery eyes. It was only then he realised how close they were sitting.

"We should probably do something about that then," she murmured before leaning in to kiss him.

* * *

Rodney McKay was a genius. Patient or good with people he was not. Which was why, after the second interview Elizabeth, Sheppard and Carson had all told him pointedly to keep his mouth shut. Which was also why he had pages upon pages of insults scrawled out in his notepad. He doubted they'd take any of his points seriously, but they might amuse Sheppard in the very least. 

When they finally took a break for lunch Rodney headed straight for Colonel Carter's lab. He should probably answer Jeannie's missed call, but if it was that important she would have called him more than once. It turned out she wasn't there, and as Sheppard had followed him down there, they decided to go and get some lunch.

The reason Sam hadn't been in her lab, it turned out, was because she was eating her lunch. Which worked well for him, and so once they'd grabbed something to eat he dragged Sheppard over to her table. On the way out he passed Elizabeth and Daniel Jackson and threw her a smile. She paused to return it before resuming a conversation about what sounded like a possible new recruit for Atlantis. Great, an_ archaeologist_, he thought before returning his attention to pursuing Sam, who had managed to disappear in the brief moment he'd paused.

He strode purposefully out of the commissary, Sheppard trotting along behind him.

* * *

Rodney was thirty one when he found out he was going to be a father. She was three months gone and everyone had just assumed it was her husbands, even him, who she'd been having an affair with for going on four years. He'd congratulated her and assumed this had meant the end of them, but everything had remained pretty much the same. 

He realised why when she told him. She also told him that when she went home she was going to tell her low-life husband that she was leaving and she wanted a divorce. Rodney shocked himself by hoping this meant what he thought it meant, but by the way she was smiling at him he realised he didn't have to wish too hard.

When she left he kissed her goodbye, wished her luck and told her to call him if she needed to. When he answered the phone later that evening, he felt that familiar itch to hurt another human being as much as he was capable of.

Instead he drove to the hospital and held her while she mourned the loss of their baby.

When she refused to testify against the man, her husband, who'd pushed her down a flight of stairs and killed their child, he walked away and never turned back.

* * *

Kath glanced up when Colonel Carter entered the lab. "You're not Daniel," she said, looking a Kath. 

"He's at lunch," she shrugged as voices drifted down the hall and into the lab. Carter's eyes widened as she heard them draw nearer.

"Rodney," someone said in amused exasperation. "Maybe you should consider leaving the woman alone?"

"And why would I want to do that, hmm?" Rodney responded. "This is far too much fun."

Kath saw Carter role her eyes and steel herself as the men approached; she had a glare firmly set on her face by the time they entered the lab.

"Colonel!" Rodney said as he strode in and towards Carter. "I was wondering if we could continue our discussion on…"

Kath opened her mouth to speak, but found her mouth dry. She saw who she assumed was Colonel Sheppard glance at her curiously before she cleared her throat and all eyes focused on her. She only focused her attention back on one pair.

"Hey Rodney," she said with a tentative smile and a half wave. She watched with resignation as his jaw dropped and he took a few steps backward.

"I, er," he pointed behind him with his thumb, still walking backwards. "I'll just…" he uttered, before escaping.

Colonels Carter and Sheppard looked at her questioningly.

"I guess he had somewhere to be," she shrugged. Seconds later, Daniel and Doctor Weir entered the room.

"We just bumped into Rodney," Weir said.

"Yeah, he was behaving stranger than usual," Daniel added.

"Is there something wrong?" Weir asked.

* * *

After five minutes of avoiding the issue spectacularly (if she did say so herself), Kath was saved by the ringing of the phone. It wasn't that she was embarrassed, or reluctant to share things about her past. It was that Rodney was, and she didn't want to hurt him anymore than she already had. Which was why she answered the phone with a great deal of relief. 

"Daniel Jackson's phone."

"Lieutenant," General O'Neill greeted her. "I don't suppose Doctor Weir is there?" he asked.

"Yes she is sir, as is Colonel Sheppard," she informed him, glancing at the two in question who looked on curiously.

"Well, the next interviewee along with Doctor Beckett are waiting for them," he said lightly.

"I'll let them know sir."

"McKay isn't there as well, is he?" he asked.

"No sir, sorry."

"Okay then, thanks. Ask Sheppard and Elizabeth to get up here then would you?"

"No problem."

"Thanks," he said before hanging up. They all looked at her curiously as she hung up the phone.

"Doctor Beckett is waiting for you to begin the next round of interviews," she told Sheppard and Weir.

"Crap," Sheppard muttered as Weir winced. "We'd better go," he said before they left. Colonel Carter followed soon after muttering something about finally getting some peace and quiet. Daniel was quiet for a moment before speaking.

"You okay?" he asked simply.

"Yeah," she smiled briefly. He nodded, obviously not convinced.

"So, found anything interesting whilst I was at lunch?"

* * *

Rodney was seated next to Carson when Sheppard and Elizabeth entered the room, idly colouring in the margin of his notepad. 

"You could have waited Rodney," Sheppard said as he took his seat. "We were both coming here." Rodney barely spared him a glance before returning his focus to the notepad.

The next two interviewees were military. Rodney had protested that he only needed to be there to interview those who would be working for him, but Elizabeth had pointed out that they would all have to work with each other.

The first was a Russian, who claimed to have worked with Rodney before when he'd be sent to Russia to work on the naquada generator technology. Rodney had no memory of the man, and told him as such. But, after a glare from Elizabeth, added that the project had gone well and no-one had tried to kill him and that was always a plus.

All in all, Rodney had little to add to the short discussions they had after the next two interviewees left. They had two more to go, with a third pencilled in with a question mark and no name. Rodney wasn't stupid, it was more than a coincidence that She was here on the base at the same time they were conducting these interviews.

When General O'Neill entered the room after the next interviewee left with a several identical files in his hand, Rodney wasn't surprised. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow in question.

"She still hasn't made a decision," he told them.

"Is this our last mystery candidate we're talking about?" Carson asked. O'Neill nodded.

"I brought you her file just in case," he said, and handed one to Sheppard and then Elizabeth.

"Either way we should still talk to her, if she's right for the expedition we can give her the hard sell," she smiled. When O'Neill handed Rodney the folder he put it down without looking at it.

"She's perfect for Atlantis," he told them. "She's an expert in a number of different fields, as well as being military."

"You know this Lieutenant Conners?" Sheppard asked, reading her name from the file.

"You've met her as well Colonel," Rodney said.

"I have?"

"The woman in Doctor Jackson's lab earlier?" Elizabeth asked, Rodney nodded, twirling his pen between his fingers.

"If you know her, perhaps you can convince her-?" O'Neill began, but stopped as Rodney smiled and shook his head. He hoped he wasn't the reason she was unsure about joining the expedition, but knew it was pretty likely he was. In which case he was probably the only one who could convince her to go.

The question was whether he would. Whether he could.

"Maybe," he said noncommittally, and was saved from adding anything else by the arrival of the next interviewee.

* * *

Daniel answered the phone the next time it rang, but passed it over to her after a moment. 

"So, it looks like they're almost done in there," General O'Neill told her. She was silent for a moment. "Katherine?" he asked when she didn't answer. The use of her first name shocked her into speaking.

"I'm not sure, sir," she said quietly.

"Elizabeth said you should come down anyway," he said encouragingly. "As you're here and all."

"I-" she stopped, world narrowed down to the sound of her heart beating against the inside of her chest.

"Katherine?"

* * *

When O'Neill opened the door, Rodney didn't feel the rush of relief he expected, but a shocking stab of disappointment, which quickly changed to anxiety when he told them she was on her way after all. He wasn't sure how to play this at all. 

Whilst he was still angry with her for not doing something about her murderous ex-husband, he often felt guilty for leaving her when he did. At the time he'd been filled with rage, at Kathy, at _him_, and he probably would have done more harm than good if he'd stayed. However, with the perspective of hindsight, at least he would have been there for her, it's not like she had many other people to lean on. Perhaps if he'd stayed they could have worked past it. Maybe it wouldn't have been years since they'd last spoken.

He sighed, picked up the pen with which he'd been making notes on the last candidate, and began tapping it against the edge of the desk.

There was a small part of him, he knew, that would always resent her for not pressing charges. The man had killed their child, and she had just let him get away with it. He stopped tapping the pen and began clicking it.

Maybe now was the time to try and reconcile. The hate and anger he'd had back then had dissipated into a lingering sense of resentment and perhaps a little disappointment. They didn't have to be best friends, colleagues would do for now. And he knew, without a doubt, that she'd be perfect for Atlantis. Any department would be lucky to have her, not that he'd voice that opinion too often.

He stopped the clicking and resumed the tapping.

Rodney could be civil, he knew he could. He just hoped Kathy was willing to try too.

"Rodney," Carson snapped from his left.

"Hmm?" He looked up to see the three of them all looking at him.

"Could you put down the pen?" Carson asked, with the tone of someone talking a person down off of the ledge of a tall building. "Please?

"Sorry," Rodney replied, laying the pen down on the folder in front of him.

"Are you okay, Rodney?" Elizabeth asked, looking at him with concern.

"Fine," he answered as the door opened.

General O'Nell held the door open as Katherine walked in. Doctor Jackson stood just outside the doorway, hand in his pockets, grinning. Kathy gave the Lantian's a brief smile before turning round and taking O'Neill's hand of the door handle and shutting it. Rodney spotted her rolling her eyes before she turned back round.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting," she said hesitantly.

"We weren't waiting long," Sheppard smiled at her.

"Please, sit down," Elizabeth said, indicating the chair placed in front of them.

"Thanks," she said, doing so. "I'm not exactly dressed for a job interview either, I know," she said, indicating the base uniform she was wearing.

"Don't worry about it, I don't think you were expecting to be here today, were you?" Elizabeth asked.

"Not exactly," she said, her eyes darting over to glance at Rodney. "No." If Elizabeth noticed the glance, she ignored it, Carson looked at him curiously though.

"I also hear, that you're not sure you want to be part of the expedition?" Elizabeth continued.

"That's correct ma'am," Kathy agreed. Rodney watched as she sat up straighter and her hands flexed where they were resting on her legs. On the defensive. Elizabeth noticed too.

"I have to say, you're expertise and military training make you the best candidate we've seen all day," Elizabeth said frankly. "Ironic really," she said and Kathy smiled. "I understand it must be daunting, travelling to another galaxy, not to mention the enemies we've encountered there," Elizabeth said.

"With all due respect Doctor Weir, while the reports I've read on the Wraith aren't exactly happy bedtime reading," Kathy said, "That's not why I…" she trailed off and looked down at her hands.

Rodney watched her for a moment before coming to a decision. "Katherine," he said. Her head snapped up and she looked at him curiously.

"Rodney?"

"There is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't accept a position on Atlantis if one is offered to you," he said.

"There isn't?" she asked softly, disbelief in her tone.

"There isn't," he responded.

"You're sure?"

"Yes," he said, letting an ounce of irritation creep into his tone and watching her eyes light up as she heard it.

"It's-"

"Kath!" he snapped, biting back a smile.

"Sorry," she said, smiling at him tentatively. He barely caught himself from returning it.

"Right," he said brusquely, picking up his pen. "Let's get on with this interview shall we?" he questioned, glancing at Elizabeth. She raised a inquisitive eyebrow at him, before turning back to Kathy. Sheppard was eyeing him suspiciously from the other end of the table.

"You've been suspended from active duty because of a recent injury, so any post would have to be a civilian one?" Elizabeth asked.

"That's correct. It's only a precaution really, keeping me away from heavy machinery, that sort of thing. Just in case, I've been fine so far though," she smiled.

"That's good to hear," Elizabeth nodded.

"What was the nature of the injury again?" Carson asked.

Rodney listened to her explanation, having heard the details from his sister a while ago, feeling a familiar urge to move closer. Protect her.

Rodney smiled, maybe this would be easier than he'd thought.

* * *

**Please review and let me know what you thought:)**


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